​Fermenting for Christmas

Fermented foods are traditional, healthy, nostalgic and delicious, and they have the potential to elevate Christmas buffets with their lively, zingy flavours and fantastic nutritional benefits. If you're looking for a last-minute homemade gift for a foodie in your life, try fermenting in glass jars so that you can gift the jar and its contents in one!

What do you need for fermenting?

The beauty of fermenting is that you need very little equipment at all. After all, this method of preservation has been used for thousands of years and long before we had modern preservatives and fridges in the home. Fermenting uses the natural bacteria that are found on the surface of fruits, vegetables and other foods, combined with salt to create a brine in which organic compounds can react to create the lacto-fermentation process.

Glass jars for fermenting

Fermenting simply requires basic kitchen ingredients and sterile storage pots or jars such as glass bottles or small glass jars. You can also make your ferments or products such as sauerkraut, pickles, yoghurt and kimchi in large glass jars, but the smaller sizes tend to work better for gifting (unless you have a loved one that really does want 5 pints of pickled cucumbers).

Christmas fermenting ideas

Why not try a fermented chilli sauce which is packed with lively flavour, real zing and plenty of powerfully beneficial probiotics? As an extra bonus, the beautiful red colour also looks superb and is wonderful dressed up for gifting in glass bottles or jars. Here's a great recipe to get you started: https://www.feastingathome.com/fermented-hot-sauce-simple-and-delicious/.

There's also just enough time to make a little sauerkraut before Christmas, which tastes wonderful with cold meats and cheeses at a buffet. Again, you just need sterilised glass jars, cabbage and salt for basic recipes. Here's one to try: https://www.daringgourmet.com/how-to-make-sauerkraut/.

Try this fermented beets recipe which is great for beginners and a wonderful rich colour. The sweetness of the beets will taste incredible with the lively fermented 'zing': https://urbanfarmandkitchen.com/fermented-beets-lacto-fermented-beet-recipe/.

It's also possible to ferment fruit in either a salt brine or a sweet brine. Blueberries, cherries and peaches are all particularly good when prepared this way, and - again - they are packed with beneficial bacteria that you can further enhance with a glass jar of homemade yoghurt. Find inspiration here: https://www.farmhouseonboone.com/how-to-make-fermented-fruit/.

Top tips for successful Christmas ferments

Remember that pickled ferments or acidic chutneys and sauces provide a welcome 'lift' to rich Christmas food, and ferments also boost your gut bacteria. A healthy gut biome supports your immune system, so it really is a great time of year to enjoy these natural products.

However, if you're thinking about fermenting for Christmas and gifting little glass jars to your loved ones, don't put your krauts, pickles and fermented chilli sauces under a Christmas tree for days in advance. In the warmth of a centrally heated home, they might start fizzing a little too enthusiastically and leak all over the floor! Equally, don't seal fermenting products and gift them without clear instructions - glass bottles have been known to explode when their fermenting gases build up and create too much pressure.

It's best to store your ferments in the fridge and then remove them on the day of gifting. Provide instructions too on how to store the goods so that they can do so safely. Fermented products can be stored for weeks or months once they are no longer 'active' and remain safely sealed. Once open, they should live back in the fridge to be enjoyed for those New Year buffets.

Stock up on glass bottles and jars for fermenting at Wares

Fermenting in jars is fun and easy, and it's a lovely project for these last weeks before Christmas when most of the big preparations are done but you're perhaps looking for a few last-minute stocking fillers or little gifts for neighbours or guests that might call round.

Decorate your fermented jars

Remember to finish your colourful ferments in their sparkling glass jars with some pretty hand-written labels and decorations. We have a lovely selection of eco-friendly tags, wrap and shred for any homemade hampers you might be making, so you can find everything you need for your project at Wares!

Check out our lovely wicker hampers too. Colourful fermented carrots, blueberries, cucumbers and beetroot really glow lined up in a natural wicker basket, and they make a really wonderful, eco-friendly and thoughtful gift for a foodie: https://www.waresofknutsford.co.uk/enamel-wicker/wickerware-hampers-and-baskets/.

Order today!

Order your jars and bottles today for successful fermenting, and you'll get great rates on fast delivery and superb service from the friendly customer team at Wares of Knutsford! We're also here if you have any queries, and we pride ourselves on offering a fantastic level of service. Why not sign up for our newsletter to keep abreast of everything happening in the Wares Community, including new product releases, inspiration, ideas, projects and special offers!